THOUSAND OAKS – The call to action was immediate, but hardly a surprise given who Johnny Hekker is and what he’s all about.

He isn’t a lifelong member of the Ventura County community, he doesn’t personally know anyone affected by the Thomas Fire raging across the foothills of nearby Ventura and, given the precious few off days he gets as the punter for the Los Angeles Rams, it’s not like anyone would have blamed him for merely being a concerned observer of the destruction happening 20 or so miles away.

But then, that’s not what Hekker stands for, or what he’s about.

It wouldn’t have mattered if he lived in the area one day or 30 years. Ventura County is home now, and his adopted community is hurting badly.

When he woke up Tuesday morning to the smell of smoke hovering in the air and ashes on his car, he instinctively knew the fires he was monitoring late Monday night on TV had taken a major turn for the worse. And fires being as unforgiving as they can be when the wind is gusting the way it’s been lately after another long, dry Southern California summer, the thought of homes being affected and families being evacuated was real.

His house was fine. His family was in no immediate danger. But not much farther away than one of his booming, thundering punts, the lives of thousands of his Ventura County neighbors were being overturned in a matter of minutes.

“And as citizens of Ventura County, we’re all in this together,” he said.

At that very moment, Hekker’s day off became a crusade. “Something needed to be done,” he said.

It’s a calling that’s as embedded in Hekker’s DNA as the power in the right leg that’s made him the best punter in the NFL.

It has nothing to do with attention or ego or self-gratification, either.

“When people are in need, you’re quick to act and don’t think much about it,” Hekker said.

It’s been that way for as long as he can remember.

“I grew up in a family that loves to serve our community,” Hekker said. “My parents were really active in our churches, community outreach. Just having that servant spirit, you feel the rewards for that come from working and serving other people and not asking for anything in return.”

And while there’s nothing wrong with simply donating money, Hekker knew the urgency of the moment was far too pressing to risk his check or credit card payment getting lost in red tape or never reaching the people who needed specific, immediate help.

Thanks to the power of social media, Hekker was directed to Ventura County Star reporter Joe Curley, who was tweeting out fire and rescue and evacuation information throughout the day. So Hekker sent Curley a direct message asking him if he knew what items were needed at the Ventura County Fairgrounds evacuation center.

Clothes, mostly, Curley informed him. The combination of the relentless winds and how the county fairgrounds backed right up to the Pacific Ocean made for unusually cold conditions. And with so many people fleeing their homes with just the clothes they were wearing at the time, warm clothes were needed big time.

On it, Hekker told Curley.

His wife Makayla is nearly seven months pregnant but she was as eager as he was to do her part. So they jumped into his truck and got to work. The first stop was to a nearby Target store.

Hekker took one cart. Makayla another. And off to the shopping aisles they went.

“My wife handled all the lady stuff and I handled all the guy stuff.” Hekker said.

The goal was to buy as much supplies as they could fit into his truck. Money was not a factor.

“I wish I could have spent more,” he said.

It didn’t take long for someone to recognize him. Like the Target employee who approached him and discreetly slipped him $40 bucks.

“I know what you’re doing,” the man told Hekker.

Nothing more needed to be said.

“It moved my wife to tears,” Hekker said. “I was shaken up about that, too.”

When Hekker got to the checkout counter, fellow customers who’d figured out what was going on offered money and thanks for what what he was doing.

Their kind words were appreciated. But more than anything he was struck by their generosity and care. Not just for what he was doing, but for the well-being of their Ventura County neighbors. It solidified what he already knew about his new home.

“Living in this community, we have to have each other’s backs,” he said.

When Hekker reached the evacuation center he was immediately struck by the enormity of it all. Entire families who had fled their homes in the middle of the night, everything they owned and knew engulfed in flames behind them.

“A lot of them had nothing,” Hekker said. “They were able to just get out of their houses just in time, grab a couple of essential things but didn’t have sweat pants or sweat shirts. It was cold in the center, people in Southern California aren’t used to it being cold and with the wind whipping up, they needed to stay warm.”

Outside, a slew of firetrucks rolled in and out as they transported weary firemen and firewomen to and from the front line. They rotated in and out in shifts trying to get some much-needed shut eye before reporting back to the action.

It was all Hekker could do to just keep it together.

“Just to rest and take a load off while their counterparts were up in the hills was just moving to see,” Hekker said. “To see them come back and being able to rest for just a bit, even if it was a nap for 20 minutes before they headed back to the hills was just moving stuff.”

Hekker kept his social media followers informed throughout the process hoping some would be inspired to help as well. Many of his fellow Rams reached out to him too, eager to do their part..

“A lot of my teammates were were texting me throughout the day asking, ‘What can we do, how can we help?,’” Hekker said.

He remained at the center for 40 minutes or so, meeting with coordinators and family members and fire department personnel. And of course, being the big kid he still is, he had plenty of stuff for all the kids. Bats. Balls. Sports equipment.

“Just some stuff the kids could play with to help keep their minds off things.” Hekker said.

Before leaving, Hekker saw a kid out of his corner of his eye happily playing with a baseball bat he and his wife had donated. Whatever the kid was going through, at least for a moment or two his mind seemed to have taken him to a better place.

“It moved me,” Hekker remembered, his voice cracking. “It moved me a lot.”

Vincent Bonsignore is an NFL columnist for the Southern California News Group. Having covered the Los Angeles sports scene for more than two decades, Bonsignore has emerged as one of the leading voices on the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, the NFL and NFL relocation.

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